Soulstone
by Mr Ilax
Summary: When you can find a stone that will tell you who your soul mate is, things should be easy right? Some seem more fortunate than others and find theirs at a young age, while others are still waiting for their turn. Soulmate AU
1. You saw it, didn't you?

**Author's Note: So, this is what happens when Zelindsay challenges me to write a soulmate story.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

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Taking a deep breath, Yang leaned forward, resting her forearms against the ill-maintained back of one of the many benches that surrounded the public park she was currently visiting. The damaged wood flexed and creaked in protest as she put more of her weight on it. It wasn't that all of the benches were poorly maintained, it was that the ones that were in good repair were already filled by moms, dads, and nannies that were watching over their own kids as they played on the various structures or in the grass. She supposed there was one other available place, looking across the park to where a woman about her age was sitting alone.

The woman had pure white hair tied up into a bun, her piercing blue eyes carefully and continuously inspecting the playground and all of its occupants. Her chilly demeanor normally caused the other adults there to avoid her outright. If it wasn't that, then it was the attitude she displayed when people did try to converse with her that kept people from trying to talk to her again. Winter Schnee did not want to be here, and everyone knew it. But, she didn't have much of a choice. Her little sister wanted to be here and it seemed that she would do anything for her little sister; except make friends.

Yang dug her left hand into the pocket of her jeans, grabbing the necklace with the stone pendant she had stored there. Carefully pulling it out and inspecting it, a pang of sadness coursed through her. Like Winter, this pendant was the reason she was here too. While she felt happy for her little cousin, she couldn't help but to feel a little jealous. Clutching the necklace tightly, she heard an all too familiar voice.

"Yaaannnggg!"

She looked up just in time for a eight year old blur of red and black to jump up onto the dilapidated bench in front of her and throw a pair of tiny arms around her neck, clutching her in a frantic hug. Since her left hand still grasping the necklace, she had no choice but to scoop up her young cousin up with her prosthetic arm. With pressure alleviated from her neck now that Ruby was no longer hanging from it, Yang peered down at the bright silver eyes that were staring back at her expectantly.

"What's up, Rubes?" She inquired, as she stood up straight to allow herself to hold her cousin better. As she moved, the younger girl freed one of her own hands and held it in front of Yang with her palm up.

"I need my necklace!"

"Oh, why's that?"

Twisting around, Ruby used her free arm to point in the direction from which she had run. Following the pointed direction her finger was pointing to, Yang quickly was able to surmise the issue. Working very carefully and meticulously to build a perfect sand castle next to a heap of sand, which was most likely Ruby's attempt to build her own, was a girl with familiar white hair. More pleasant than her older sister, Weiss was about a year older than Ruby and was quite happy about the circumstances that occurred when the two had first met. Rolling the stone between her fingers, Yang looked at the two boys kneeling in the sand next to the white-haired girl. Both sporting blue mohawks, albeit of different lengths and shades, the two boys seemed keenly interested in trying to obtain Weiss' attention. While she seemed to be easily ignoring the boys' antics, it was understandable to why Ruby had a more negative reaction. She tended to wear her heart on her sleeve and didn't have many friends due to her shyer nature.

"Be-because!" Ruby's lower lip quivered as she faced her older cousin again, tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. "Those boys wo-won't leave Weissy alone! She-e told them to go away and they didn't. I even told them our stones match and they-ey didn't believe me!"

Pulling Ruby into a tighter hug, Yang let herself smile. Of course Ruby wasn't doing this out of jealousy, she was just trying to protect her friend.

"Alright." The blonde soothed the upset girl. Holding up her left hand in front of Ruby, she let the necklace dangle, allowing the girl to snatch it easily. "Just take care of it, ok?"

"Ok!" The once forlorn visage the girl was gone and, though the tears remained in the corners of her eyes, it was replaced by a giant smile. "I love you, Yang." She squeaked out as she kissed her cousin on the cheek.

"I love you too." Yang replied easily as she set the younger girl back on the ground, giving her a kiss on the top of the head before ruffling her hair. "Now go protect your girl!"

With that, Ruby took off, tearing across the playground back towards the sandbox. Yang watched carefully as the short kid weaved past the other park patrons. Her heart wrenched as she watched Ruby trip and faceplant into the grass, but the brunette quickly bounced back up onto her feet and continued to race towards her destination.

"That's always a terrible feeling, isn't it?" A cheery voice spoke up from behind the blonde.

Without turning, as her focus was still on her cousin, she nonetheless recognized the speaker. It was one of the only adults here who ever tried to talk to her. She didn't know if it was her young age, her prosthetic right arm, or the tattoos that ran the length of her left arm that tended to be off putting, but she gave up on trying to appease the other adults here a long time ago.

"Yeah." She agreed. "I hate seeing her get hurt."

"Remind me to nominate you for mother of the year." The speaker chuckled as she stepped into the blonde's peripheral vision.

Yang finally broke her watchful gaze on Ruby's antics as she turned towards her friend. The bright red hair of, not only the other woman, but also the two children who each clutched onto their mother's hands, was definitely eye catching. Both an awesome mother and a good friend, Pyrrha was the wife of an officer in Vale's military. Although she was almost a decade older, the two of them got along since the first time they met; when Yang had enrolled Ruby into 1st grade over a year ago. Both a certified physical therapist and taller than herself, Pyrrha had many things that Yang was striving for, but the taller woman never held it over her head.

"You already know I am not actually her mother, Pyrrha."

"As far as gossip here is concerned, they think you're the young, single mother of an adorable, and bubbly, brunette." Pyrrha's bright green eyes dazzled in the afternoon sunlight as she made eye contact and smiled at Yang. "As far as I am concerned, you are her sole caretaker. You get her up in the morning and tuck her in at night. You'll remember Summer, but how old was Ruby when she died? Only one or two years old? You're as much as her mother as Summer was to you."

Yang cast her gaze down as memories of the past that she usually tried to repress came bubbling to the surface. Her own father and mother abandoned her with her Uncle and completely disappeared off the face of Remnant. Her uncle, Qrow, and his new wife, Summer, eagerly welcomed her as part of their family, raising her as if she was their own kid. Despite the fact that it looked as though Qrow and her mother, Raven, looked like twins, Qrow was almost a decade younger than his sister. When Yang was 17, Summer became pregnant, and they were all elated to have their family grow. As Qrow was normally busy with business trips, Yang had made sure to attend a local college so she could assist her aunt during the later stages of her pregnancy. During Yang's first year at college, Summer gave birth to Ruby and Yang found herself at home more and more, willingingly taking time to help care for the newborn. Everything was going well until almost two years later. The four of them had been driving to dinner after Yang's finals when they were struck by a semi-truck that had run a red light. While Ruby, being the farthest away from the impact, was fine, Qrow and Summer were killed instantly. As for herself, the crash had twisted the door frame around her right arm and the resulting damage was severe enough that it required amputation.

She balled her metal hand into a fist, clenching it tightly. She was fortunate that her family's insurance was able to cover an independently functioning prosthetic, as the rest of the year after the accident was hell for her. Between physical therapy to get herself functioning again, the lawsuit to settle the damages of the car crash, and disputes over Qrow and Summer Branwen's will, any remains of a life she had evaporated. She found out that her uncle and aunt left her everything they had owned, a considerable sum of money, as well as a a place to live. However, there was a controversial part where they had also named Yang as Ruby's legal guardian. She had to participate in court hearing after court hearing to prove competency to raise a child. During that year, Ruby had been placed as a ward of the Kingdom of Vale. Thankfully, all of that was behind them now. Pyrrha was right, Ruby was nothing short of her own daughter.

"Alright, Selene, Luna. Have fun, but be careful!"

Pyrrha's voice broke her out out of her ruminations. Looking back towards the other woman, she watched as the redhead crouched down down and patted her twin daughters on their heads. They both beamed identical smiles back, excitement gleaming in their deep blue eyes, before they turned and sprinted towards the swings, screaming with joy.

Standing back up to full height, Pyrrha stretched her arms. "Aren't Ruby and Weiss so lucky?" She yawned out as she completed her stretch.

"Hmm?" Yang grunted back, her mind still cloudy from the lingering memories.

Pyrrha pointed across the playground to where Weiss was now leading Ruby by the hand away from the sand box, where the two boys now stood arguing with each other. Both of the girls had necklaces with stone pendants that looked like they were two parts of one broken stone.

"Weiss found her soulstone at an early age and Ruby found hers right after she met Weiss." Pyrrha elaborated. "I mean I thought I was lucky when I found Jaune my freshman year at college and we both already had our soulstones then."

Eying the fine gold chain that hung around Pyrrha's neck, the stone amulet hidden under the women's clothing, Yang absent mindedly rubbed her own bare neck.

"Yeah, the little silver-eyed snot was lucky." The blonde's voice bubbled with a mixture of happiness and glum. "She met Weiss on the first day of school, they had a combined recess for the second and third graders. She accidently ran into Weiss and, buried in the dirt where she landed, was her stone. She picked it up and I guess Weiss instantly recognized what it was. She put them together to confirm it. They've been best friends ever since."

"Young love." Pyrrha responded softly as she placed a hand over her heart. "Do they fully understand the meaning?"

"Yeah." Yang bragged back a little. "Ruby certainly does. Just look at those doe eyes she gets every time she lookes at Weiss. She asked me this morning how to give Weiss a kiss. I told her to start with the cheek."

"Adorable." Pyrrha whispered as both women stood side by side for a while, watching their respective charges with warm smiles on their face. "What about you, Yang?"

Glancing furtively at her friend, Yang sighed heavily. "Nothing so far."

"Not even a dream?" The older woman probed.

"Nope." Yang admitted.

The dreams. No one had figured out what triggered them, but sometimes people who hadn't found their soulstones yet would have dreams of soulstones. Most people who had those dreams, dreamed of their own soulstone, and it had been proven over and over again, that people with those dreams did not have to find their own soulstones as they were capable of carving one themselves.

More rare, however, were those who dreamt of their partner's soulstone after having seen it. It is an image, not nearly as clear as when a person dreams of their own stone's blueprint. It's been said that people who have these dreams are aware they have personally seen this stone before, though may not remember the person it belonged to. Normally, when matching soulstones touch, both parties immediately know the match is true from the stone's unique fit and it is impossible to fake. But, when a lover dreams of their partner's stone, it is near impossible for the dreamer to prove themselves since they do not have a stone and are also unable to carve their own.

Pyrrha placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok." Yang scoffed. "It gives me more time to focus on Ruby and to try to finish my degree. You don't know how long these things take when you only have class once a week."

"Point taken, you don't want to talk about it." The taller woman racked her brain for a different subject to distract her younger companion. "When is your PT conference scheduled?"

"Tonight." Yang sighed again. "I don't think Ruby really likes Miss Amitola."

"Selene and Luna didn't like her very much last year either, but kids from her class tend to outperform the kids in the other 2nd grade classes in reading and writing. So it isn't all bad." Pyrrha hummed almost inaudibly before speaking again. "Though I heard that she is getting an assistant for the rest of this year. Someone to come in and help out a few times a week with some of the more energetic children."

Before Yang could open her mouth to respond she noticed noticed two familiar children toddle up to her.

"Yang!" Ruby whimpered as she clutched Weiss' hand with one of hers and grabbed the blonde's leg with the other. "Her sister says it's time to go, but I don't wanna stop playing. Can she stay the night?"

"Sorry, kiddo." Yang crouched down next to her charge. "You have your conference tonight with your teacher and we need to get up early for a meeting with the grumpy CPS guy."

"Oh…" Ruby's face fell.

"Don't worry, Ruby." Weiss tugged on her friend's shirt, getting the younger girl to face her. "I'll see you on Monday!"

A small twinkle returned to Ruby's eyes as she heard that. Yang watched as the girl's body tensed up and her brow wrinkled. It was cute watching her young cousin try to build up the courage to follow through with the plans she had made that morning. Before she could try to step in and help Ruby with her plight, Weiss started to move. Taking advantage of the brunette's hesitation, Weiss leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. The blushes both girls wore were obvious, as were the smiles both of them wore.

"Bye!" Weiss squeaked shrilly as she turned and ran back to where her sister was waiting next to a short and portly older man with a large brown moustache.

"Score!" Yang whispered to Ruby, causing her blush to deepen and mutter something under her breath. "Ready to go? We need to get to our conference."

"Yeah…"

"See ya, Pyrrha!" Yang shouted over her shoulder as she picked Ruby up, preventing the speedy girl from escaping, and started to carry her back to the car.

"Take care, Yang!"

The trip home didn't take long, nor did it take long for the both of them to get prepared for the conference. Ruby of course needed to bathe, since she had been playing in the sandbox. Preparing the bath quickly, and picking out clothes for her to wear, she was surprised that she didn't have to argue with Ruby about needing a bath today, as the young girl got in immediately. Once Ruby was out of the bath and dried off, Yang took a moment to quickly check herself in the mirror. Opting to put on gray jacket over the tank top she had been wearing, covering most of her prosthetic and tattoos, she let her hair down out of the ponytail it had been confined in all day and brushed it for a few moments. After she was done with that task, she went to the kitchen to make a small sandwich, cutting it in half so she could share it. As she got up to track Ruby down to get her to eat, her scroll dinged, alerting her to the fact that they need to leave for their PT conference.

"Hey, Squirt! Let's go!" She called from the kitchen.

"I'm coming." An annoyed voice squeaked out as Ruby entered the kitchen, trying to wrestle her shirt on over her head.

Chuckling, Yang helped Ruby get her skirt fastened and set her on the countertop, letting her eat while Yang found Ruby's shoes and directed her to put them on. To her surprise, Ruby had already scarfed the food down by the time she was done tying the second shoe and they made their way to the garage, where her small car was parked. Taking extra time to make sure that Ruby was safely and properly situated in her booster seat, being the relatively small child she was, in the back seat, she slid into the driver's seat and they left to go meet with Ruby's teacher.

Her heavy footfalls caused by boots intemingled with the pattering of Ruby's sneakers as they walked down the hallway of the school. Yang tried to hurry as they were already late to meet with the teacher. They would have been on time, but Ruby had been insistent on pointing out every place she liked to go in the school before dragging her to the other side of the building to show her the art project Weiss had made. Finally on track, they arrived to Ruby's classroom to find the door open. Walking right in, Yang managed to catch what the occupants of the room were saying.

"Look what I found, Ilia." The speaker was a pretty, raven-haired woman dressed in a suit. She was leaning towards the other woman, holding up the pendent on the necklace she was wearing.

Yang recognized the other woman, a brunette with an abundance of freckles littered her face, as Ilia Amitola, Ruby's teacher.

"That's amazing, Blake." Ilia smiled at the other occupant.

"Hi, Miss Amitola!" Ruby sang out. "Hi, Miss Belladonna!"

Both women startled and turned towards the newcomers. It was clear that neither of them had heard Yang and Ruby enter the classroom. Yang's eyes lingered on the necklace that Blake had been holding up for Ilia to see. It was obvious that it was a soulstone and that Blake didn't want anyone else to see, as she quickly placed it back under her shirt.

"Please sit." The teacher beckoned them to the chairs that were arranged in front of her desk. "Miss Belladonna will be sitting in on this conference as she will be assisting my class for a few days a week for the rest of the year, and I want her to become acquainted with all of my students parents."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Belladonna." Yang muttered as her eyes drifted across the assistant's distractingly beautiful physical features.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Blake replied easily, unperturbed by the blonde's unrelenting focus on her. "I look forward to working with your daughter."

"She's n-." Yang opened her mouth to refute the claim, but her recent conversation Pyrrha stopped her. "Thank you, I am sure she is as well."

"Now." Ilia started. "There are a few things I need to notify you about Ruby's behavior…"

The rest of the meeting went smoothly. Yang found out that Ruby, while she gets most of her work done, tended to get distracted during class and start rocking in her chair or drum on her desk in a manner that could disrupt other students. Beyond that, she was doing well with her school work. As the meeting continued, details started to become lost on Yang as she found her gaze constantly making its way back towards Blake. While she tried to catch glimpses while the other woman was focused on Ilia or Ruby, every time she held the stare for more than a few seconds, those sharp amber eyes would flick towards her and make contact until she looked away.

As the meeting wrapped up, Yang managed to string together a few coherent questions about how she can help Ruby stay more focused in class and perform better. She tried to linger a little longer, and make small talk with the black-haired woman, but a knock on the door interrupted them. A polite goodbye was all she managed before the next parent and their kid entered for their own meeting.

Departing from the school, they made their way back home. After having a quick dinner, she got Ruby ready for bed before cuddling up on the couch together to watch one of Ruby's favorite shows. After about an hour, she felt Ruby start to nod off next to her. Gently, picking her up, Yang carried her to her bedroom and started to tuck her in.

"Goodnight, Squirt." Yang whispered as she kissed Ruby sweetly on the forehead.

As she pulled away, she felt tiny hands clutch her jacket.

"Yang." Ruby muttered back sleepily. "I really liked that Miss Belladonna thought you were my mother."

"You know what?" Yang replied softly as she gently pried Ruby's fingers off her clothes so the girl could settle into bed. "I did too."

As soon as she left Ruby's room she reached up to dry the wet lines that her tears had traced down her cheeks. Making her way to her room, she brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas. Flopping down on her bed, her mind raced processing the exchange she just had with her cousin. It made her happy to know what Ruby thought of her. But, as she drifted off to sleep her dreams became claimed by one burning image. That night, she dreamt of the shape of the soulstone that the student teacher had been wearing around her neck.

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 **Aw, man. Ruby is just adorable isn't she? And what is Yang in for?**

 **Let me know if you liked it by leaving me some feedback!**

 **Anyways, I am off to go thank Zelindsay and XenonRaumzeit for putting considerable amount of time into editing my incomprehensible first draft.  
See ya'll later!**


	2. Have a moment, for me?

**Author's Note: Happy (insert made up holiday) Day! I got a present for all y'all.  
**

 **I hope you all enjoy. :)**

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"Ugh." Yang groaned as she closed her front door.

Normally she would classify herself as a morning person, some things just had a tendency to ruin her mornings. While Mr. Liard was a relatively pleasant man, and they got along better now, his visits were time consuming and draining. She dug her fingers under her hair and scratched her scalp vigorously in irritation.

Stepping away from the door, she made her way to head back into the kitchen, but was stopped in her tracks by three light knocks on the front door. Mr. Liard probably forgot to give her some information again. She turned and yanked the door open, letting her frustration get the better of her.

"What did you forget this ti-." Yang paused as she noticed the person standing on her porch was a little shorter than she expected. "Oh, hi Nora."

"Heya!" The redhead cheered in her normal, overly exuberant manner. "So… who was that guy?" She asked as she pointed her thumb back over her shoulder to a slowly retreating Mr. Liard.

Nora could definitely smirk with the best of them, and normally Yang would laugh at the insinuation, but not at the moment.

"In or out..." Yang grumbled as she stepped out of the doorway.

Continuing on her path back to the kitchen where a empty coffee cup was waiting for her. She had no doubt that Nora would follow her in. The sound of the door closing and the bouncing footsteps that followed her confirmed her prediction. Reaching up with her left arm, she fetched another coffee cup from the cupboard. Thankfully Nora was able to contain herself until Yang had finished pouring coffee for the both of them.

"Thanks!" Nora gleefully took the cup of coffee and promptly helped herself to a generous quantity of flavored creamer from the fridge to pour into the bitter beverage. "So…?"

"Although it is Friday, it's only 7am, Nora. And I am really not in the mood for teasing." Yang took the creamer from Nora after she had finished with it, pouring an equally generous amount into her own cup. "To answer your question from earlier, that was Mr. Liard. He's the Child Protection Services investigator assigned to me and Ruby. Apparently one of my neighbors doesn't think I should let Ruby ride on my motorcycle with me and called the CPS."

Nora froze at that comment. "Oohh.. Sorry. Didn't you already clear yourself through them years ago?"

"Yeah, I did." Yang took a long drink from her cup. The hot coffee burned on its way down, it wasn't as sweet as she liked it, but sipping it slowly gave her a chance to collect her thoughts. "Because of the original legal battle to become Ruby's legal guardian, I have a file open with the CPS labelled as 'high-risk'. So anytime someone files a complaint, they have to come out and investigate it. Thankfully, Mr. Liard has been my investigator long enough that he merely goes through the legally mandated steps and tries to reduce the stress of his visits. It's still draining and frustrating,though, I did learn that I store my power tools in a very child safe manner."

"I bet you do. You have always been so fas, faste…" Nora stuttered on the elusive word. "You've always put too much attention into keeping your workspace clean and safe."

"There's nothing wrong with being fastidious." Yang crossed her left arm over her body, letting her hand hook over the cap on her arm where her prosthetic was normally attached.

"That's the word!" The shorter woman exclaimed excitedly as she raised her coffee cup briefly before sipping from it again.

"Speaking of child safety, where's Ruby?"

The blonde shrugged. "Last I checked she was in her room, using watercolors to decorate my arm. She wanted it match my other one."

Silence fell in the kitchen as the two women continued to sip on their coffee. The sun was starting to filter in through the window on the east side, illuminating the room. It was a fairly simple kitchen with countertops that ran along two of the walls. An island was all that separated the kitchen from the living room. One side had a stove and sink built into it, while the other side, the part that was on the living room, was upraised a few inches and four barstools sat in front of it. The openness made the one story house feel a little bigger and more open.

"It's kind of weird seeing you without your arm on, though." Nora spoke up, breaking the silence. That woman never could handle silence very well, it was curious how she and her husband got along so well.

"Well, it was the easiest way to make Ruby happy." Yang stared forlornly into her now empty cup before setting it down. "She called Weiss early today to say good morning or something. I don't think Weiss is a morning person, and she was cranky. Needless to say, it upset Ruby."

"They're soulmates, right?" Nora chuckled. "Ain't it supposed to be all sunshine and rainbows?"

"Yeah, and Ruby is still an eight-year-old. Tantrums and hurt feelings come with the territory. Just give you daughter a few more years." Yang rubbed the stump that constituted her right arm. "My aunt and uncle loved each other with all their hearts, but they still had their spats. Being meant for each other doesn't mean you'll always get along."

As Nora set her empty coffee mug down, Yang took the initiative to move both of them to the sink and begin to rinse them out. Just as she put them in the dishwasher, another knock on the door resounded through the house. Yang turned the faucet off and grabbed a towel to dry her hand, but Nora reacted quicker and zipped over to the front door.

"I got it!" She called as she opened the door. "Oh. Hello, Pyrrha."

Yang facepalmed, before wiping the water off water that transferred from her still wet hand onto her face. She had forgotten that Pyrrha was dropping her kids off so Yang could bring them all to school.

"Hello, Nora." Pyrrha's voice lacked most of the warmth it normally carried.

"Come on in!" Nora's voice, however, didn't lose any of its friendliness.

The shorter woman was generally socially oblivious, and probably had never taken notice that Pyrrha wasn't overly fond of her. They would probably be best of friends if it weren't for the Soulstones. While Pyrrha was a big supporter of destiny, and was part of the majority that frowned on those that had relationships without matching Soulstones, Nora wasn't. That itself wouldn't be cause for too many issues, but Nora and her husband didn't have Soulstones. In fact, the only reason that Nora and Ren had a legally recognized marriage was because they had a child together. An adorable four-year-old girl named Thyra. The legal ramifications if one of them found a Soulstone that matched with someone else where vast, and would instantly cause their marriage to be annulled. However, Pyrrha normally conducted herself in a pleasant manner, and she probably wasn't much of a morning person either.

"Hey, Pyrrha!" Yang greeted her friend in a warm manner, having finally woken up a bit more thanks to the coffee. She walked up to Pyrrha just before bending down in front of the tired looking twin girls. "Hello to you two as well. Ruby's in her room, can you make sure she is getting ready for school?"

Selene and Luna both giggled before dropping their backpacks on the threshold and running down the hallway to where Ruby's room was, traces of their morning fatigue seeming to evaporate instantly.

"Thanks for offering to take them to school for me, Yang." Pyrrha said, as the warmth returned to her voice. "Sorry, for asking at the last minute too. I completely forgot I had scheduled a client early this morning."

"It's no problem. Care for some coffee?"

"No, thank you. However, I do have something I want to ask you about." Pyrrha motioned over to the couch.

Pyrrha sat in one of the chairs across from the couch that she had beckoned to as Yang sat in the indicated seat. Nora took the opportunity to crash onto the couch next to Yang. Pyrrha's eyes darted over to where the other woman sat, but only for a second before they refocused on Yang.

"I just noticed that you've been looking tired recently, and I wanted to check up on you." The older woman began as she interlaced her fingers and leaned forward in the chair. "Is something going on? I know you talked about having issues with one of your neighbors."

"Its…" Yang paused, while Pyrrha was always into the whole fate thing, there was no guarantee that she would believe or understand her. "Nothing. I just haven't been sleeping well."

"Is there any reason for that?" Pyrrha's voice was laced heavily with genuine concern.

Yang sat back and sighed, time for the half truth. "Between classes, work, and taking care of Ruby, I don't get a lot of down time." She inspected Pyrrha's face to see if the older woman would believe her.

"And those dreams got nothing to do with it?" Nora butted in, spilling the real reason even though Yang had specifically asked her not to.

Yang shot a quick darting glance over to Nora who didn't seem to notice. "What dreams?" Pyrrha's head tilted to the side with curiosity.

"She keeps dreaming of Miss Amitola's assistant's Soulstone!" Nora continued with a laugh.

Yang head snapped towards Nora, flabbergasted that she dare to betray secrets like that. Swinging across her body, she slugged Nora in the leg as hard as she could, eliciting gasps of pain that mixed in the redhead's chuckling. It only grew worse as Nora leaned forward to cradle her leg and ended up rolling off the couch and thudding on the floor.

Both of the other women watched in amazement as the short redhead began to wheeze as she struggled to intake enough air to sustain her manic giggling. Yang wished that Pyrrha would be distracted by the turn of events, or realize that she was now probably late for her appointment, but the older woman just calmly returned her attention to the blonde.

"Could you explain, Yang? I thought those were just myths."

Yang searched her friends eyes. How could she explain that every single night for the last month since she first met Blake she had been dreaming of that stone. How could she explain that it was keeping her awake at night because she was scared of sleeping, because it meant that she would have taunting visions of something she couldn't act upon. She had no way to prove herself to Blake, so it was better to keep quiet about it.

She had talked to Nora though, and it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Nora was generally trustworthy and kept secrets quite well. On top of that, Nora didn't care about fate, destiny, or the social stigma that came with going against it. Yang looked down at where Nora was laying on the ground as she finally started to control her outburst.

"I'm beginning to think they're possibly not just myths." Yang kept her eyes cast downwards. "Ever since I saw Blake's Soulstone I keep having dreams of it."

Pyrrha rubbed her temples with her index fingers, looking as though she was trying to solve a complex issue.

"That's great, Yang. It really is." The older woman let her hands drop and clasped them together on her lap. "What do you intend on doing about it?"

"Nothing." Yang shrugged.

"That's… not a bad course of action." Pyrrha spoke slowly as though she were trying to pick her words carefully. "It isn't necessarily the best though. Have you tried to at least talk to her? Maybe form a healthy friendship to see if these dreams are just some sort of infatuation?"

Yang squirmed in her seat a little bit as Nora finally stood up off the floor and once again joined her on the couch.

"That's what I said." Nora chipped in. "Or at least the part about actually talking to her. Which, Yang doesn't." She said as she put her hands on her hips and turned to face Yang, who responded by turning her own body to meet Nora's, giving her another sharp stare.

This caused Nora to stand up and move into one of the other chairs outside of Yang's striking range. Sticking her tongue out as Yang continued to glareat her.

"You don't talk to her?" Pyrrha asked, her green eyes glimmering with curiosity. "Don't you see her at the school?"

"Yes. I do see Miss Belladonna sometimes when I drop Ruby off or pick her up." Yang shrugged again. "After having work and classes all day I am pretty beat by the time I get Ruby from school, and usually I am either taking care of her or doing my own homework. My only free time I have, I spend with you two."

"I just realized something." Nora spoke up.

"I did too." Pyrrha exchanged a look with Nora.

For once it looked like the two women agreed with each other, and she was probably not going to like the outcome.

"Every time I have ever seen you, you have always had Ruby with you." Pyrrha elaborated. "Have you ever let someone else watch her?"

"Sure, she goes to school, doesn't she?" The blonde tried to deflect the question.

It was true. When Ruby wasn't at school, they went everywhere together. Ruby was a bundle of joy to be around and Yang was always worried that she would get injured or sick if she didn't have her older cousin around to watch over her.

"That's not what I meant, Yang."

"I know. I just… " Yang paused nervously running her fingers through her hair. She didn't finish her thought though as she heard the jingle of a cell phone alarm.

"Well, that solves it." Pyrrha stood up while she spoke. She checked the time on her phone and started to head towards the door. "Thanks for taking my kids to school. I will pick Ruby up today after school and she'll have a sleepover at my house with my girls."

"Wait, Pyrrha!" Yang called to the older woman as Pyrrha opened the front door again.

"I'm sorry, Yang." Pyrrha gave a smile that told her just how not sorry the redhead was. "This is for the best though. Go spend time with Nora tonight without Ruby there."

The door closed softly and Yang gave a huff of defeat. Looking at her own phone, she realized that she needed to go get her newly painted arm back from Ruby and make sure the girls were getting ready for school.

* * *

Bypassing the normal drop-off line, Yang parked her car. On the ride to the school, Ruby had insisted that Yang walk her into class today because she wasn't feeling well. Just by looking at her, Yang could tell that what happened this morning was still bothering her. It was understandable. While Ruby would have seen Weiss be rude or short with other kids, it was probably the first time she had done so to Ruby.

The three kids in the back seat groaned and complained about having to go to school on such a sunny day. Selene and Luna deftly slid out of the vehicle, bags in hand while Ruby took a few extra seconds to free herself from her booster seat and tripped over her own feet on her way out of the vehicle. It was a warm day outside already, but Yang still took care that her jacket was on securely as she also got out of the vehicle and grabbed the tiny red backpack that was still sitting on the seat as Ruby hopped out of the car.

"Not so fast there! Here you go, Squirt." She handed the bag to her cousin as the small girl pouted back at her.

Ruby had tried that ploy several times before. Last year, the first time she tried it, it worked, and Yang had to leave her own class early to bring the bag to school. Why a 1st-grader needed so many school supplies for was beyond her, but the school was insistent. Ever since then, Ruby tried to ditch her bag at home or in the car at least once a month.

"Uhhh…" Ruby groaned in her failed attempt. "Worth a shot…"

Walking towards the entrance of the school, Ruby holding onto her hand, Yang saw a familiar and welcome sight. A small white-haired 3rd grader stood by the school entrance, nervously rocking on her heels and watching the car line. Ruby said that she was still unhappy with Weiss and didn't want to see her, but Yang knew that both girls would be miserable all day if they didn't get a chance to make up.

She knew when her little cousin saw the heiress because she tightened her grip on Yang's hand and slowed her pace. It would have been easy enough to just drag Ruby over, but that probably wouldn't elicit the best reaction from the already anxious girl. Yang stopped walking and knelt down in front of her as Pyrrha's daughters rushed past to meet up with some of their own friends before school started.

"What's up?" Yang asked gently as she brushed Ruby's bangs to the side with her free hand.

"I don't wanna see Weiss." Ruby mumbled towards the pavement as she avoided Yang's eyes.

Using her free hand to curl a finger under Ruby's chin, she tilted the girls head up so she could see those pretty silver eyes.

"Why not? Are you still upset with her."

Ruby just shook her head and tried to avert her eyes back downwards.

"Then what's up?" Yang continued to probe.

"She doesn't like me anymore." Ruby responded glumly. "I made her mad at me and now she hates me."

"Aww, come on." Yang pulled Ruby in a close hug as she stroked the girl's hair. "She doesn't hate you."

"Yeah huh!"

"Ok, just peek over my shoulder. Does she look angry?"

The small girl poked her head up to look at Weiss standing by the entrance.

"No." She sighed.

"What does she look like?"

"She looks sad."

"That's right, and it's your job to cheer her up, ok?"

"Ok." Ruby nodded, and after a few seconds a smile appeared on her face.

Standing back up, she and Ruby walked side by side towards the entrance to the school. Weiss didn't notice them until they were only about ten feet away, since they were approaching from the side and the girl's attention was on the continually moving line of cars that were dropping kids off in front of her. When she turned and saw her friend approaching her, the small white-haired girl gave a small squeak before running up to Ruby.

"I'm sorry!" Weiss bawled, tears streaming down her face as she clutched Ruby in a tight hug. "I didn't mean to yell at you!"

Whatever Ruby wanted to say was lost as her voice was muffled by the fabric of bolero jacket that Weiss was wearing. When Ruby finally freed her face from the suffocating grasps of Weiss' shoulder, Yang could see tears on Ruby's face as well. She didn't have any fear of the two making up in short order and stood back to watch two patch things up. The first bell rang, startling both of them. As Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand to guide her inside, Ruby got up on her toes and gave the taller girl a quick kiss on the cheek. Both girls blushed and giggled before running into the school.

"I love you, Ruby!" Yang called as departed.

Ruby stopped, pulling Weiss to a halt with her as she turned around so she could call back.

"I love you too…" The girl paused uncharacteristically. "Yang!" She finished before letting Weiss pull on her again.

After Ruby disappeared into the school, Yang's heart wrenched at the realization that she would not only have to deal with not having Ruby with her all day, but she wasn't going to see her tonight either. Turning to head back towards her car as she started to swelter in the sun with her jacket on, she heard someone call for her.

"Miss Xiao Long?" Yang turned to see Miss Belladonna walking towards her. "Can I have a moment of your time?"

As Blake approached her, her eyes focused on chain peaking out from under the other woman's collar. On the end of that chain was that stone that haunted her dreams.

"Miss Xiao Long?" Blake's voice sounded inquisitive as the assistant stopped right in front of her.

As her eyes followed the chain down, she suddenly realized what it probably looked like she was doing and she quickly brought her eyes up to meet with Blake's.

"Uh… Yes!?" She flashed a nervous smile as her face grew red. "A moment, right? I think I can do a few moments for you." Her brain raced as she tried to recover from her embarrassing snafu.

"I was wondering if you could help the class out with something." The assistant stated simply before beckoning back towards the building. "It's a little warm out here. Do you mind if we take this indoors?"

"That'd be great." Was all that Yang could muster as she felt her brain scramble under the gaze of those glowing amber eyes.

Happy that their conversation was going to take place in a location that was out of the sun, and most likely had air conditioning, she let herself breathe a small sigh of relief. Wearing her jacket in the sun already was making her sweat. Being that close to Blake, and that stone, only exacerbated the situation. Plus the walk would give her time to clear her head and collect her thoughts. The second bell rang as they entered the building, leaving the hallways completely empty except for the two of them.

As Yang followed behind Blake, her eyes kept drifting to the woman's neckline where the chain of her necklace sat on her olive skin. It rested perfectly on her slender neck and… Yang shook her head to clear her thoughts again. She had more important things to do. She was just here to find out what Miss Belladonna needed from her to help Ruby's class. After that, she just needed an excuse to be able to persuade Pyrrha to not pick Ruby up and she was golden.

Blake opened a door and beckoned Yang in. As she stepped into the room, she was greeted by a cool draft, courtesy of the air vent that was by the door. It helped calm her as she took stock of the room. The refrigerators, sinks, cooking supplies, and various tables and chairs gave her the impression that she was in the teacher's lounge. As Blake sat at one of the tables, she produced a few folder pieces of paper from her bag and set them down on the table in front of her.

Despite the cooler temperature of the room, Yang was still sweltering in her jacket. She looked around the room again to make sure that no one else was in there before grabbing the zipper of her jacket.

"Do you mind?" She inquired as her hand hovered by her zipper, waiting for permission.

Blake looked her up and down real quick as if she was trying to determine if Yang was wearing something inappropriate under her jacket. "Go ahead." She said after a moment.

Quickly unzipping it, she slid the fabric off her shoulders and hung it on one of the chairs at the table where Blake was sitting. Pulling the front of her tank top, she fluttered it back and forth to try to circulate a little air.

"Nice arm." She heard Blake say a little awkwardly.

"Um… thanks?" Yang raised the prosthetic arm up so Blake could see it more clearly. While some of the paint that Ruby had applied to was already rubbing off, it still looked pretty good. Ruby wasn't the best of artists, but she had painted the different plates and segments in complementing colors and were no smudges or flecks of paint anywhere. "Ruby likes to paint on it with watercolors. It calms her down when she's stressed."

"Er…" Yang looked up to see Blake's face flush red with embarrassment. "I meant I think your tattoos are pretty." The black-haired woman finished quickly.

"Oh." Yang self-consciously looked at her prosthetic again before lowering it.

"Yeah…" Blake lowered her head as she pushed the papers across the table. Yang could see that her ears were still tinged pink from the misunderstanding.

She sat down in the chair opposite of Blake, so she could look at the papers that were given to her.

"Um…" Blake started. "So we need another chaperone for a field trip that Ruby's class is taking next month."

Quickly reading what Blake gave her, the field trip looked like a lot of fun. An all day trip to the zoo with a birds of prey demonstration. It was on a day that she didn't have class either, and calling off work shouldn't be an issue as she had plenty of PTO built up.

"Sure!" Yang smiled earnestly. "I'll do it."

Blake looked relieved at her remark, maybe Blake was hoping to spend time with her?

"Thanks. It's a big help. I dropped the ball on getting a chaperone and you were the first parent I saw." Blake admitted as she sat back in her chair.

Or not.

"However." She continued before pausing. "I am free tonight, if you want to meet up. If you have any questions or anything. I am new to this area and I could always use a friend. Plus, I'm sure your tattoos have a story behind them and I'd love to hear it."

Or maybe?

"I…" Yang stammered, taken aback by the development. While she wanted to get close to Blake, it would only end badly. Plus, she had Ruby to take care of. "I'll have to check, I have Ruby to take care of…"

"You can bring her along!" Blake offered with a smile. "Seriously, besides Ilia, you're the only person my age I know! She's great, but it would be nice to have a friend outside of work."

Blake was practically begging her now. She could hear Pyrrha and Nora's voices urging her to say yes.

"Why don't you give me your phone number, and I'll let you know?" She offered.

"Perfect!" Blake wrote down her number on the top paper. "Go ahead and take those with you!"

Stuffing the papers into her pocket and retrieving her jacket, they bid each other farewell and Blake showed her out of the building. The rest of the day was uneventful, but as the clock dwindled down to the time that she would normally leave to pick Ruby up, Yang found herself fidgeting with her phone. She should definitely send Pyrrha a text to call off the sleep over. She felt nervous at the thought of Ruby being away, even for only one night.

She started to write a message to Pyrrha, but paused and deleted it. Was Pyrrha right? Did she need some time without Ruby? She started to rewrite the message only to delete it again. Sighing, she flopped down on her couch and heard the crinkle of paper as she landed. Pulling the sheets of paper out from under her, she had forgotten that she had tossed them there when she got home. She stared at the number written on the top.

She put Blake's number into her phone and typed out a message to have her meet up at a nearby coffee shop within the next hour. It was going to be an interesting evening.

* * *

 **I admit it, I am bad with cute and fluffy. But Ruby and Weiss are adorable? Yes? OF course they are.**

 **Big thumbs up to Zelindsay and XenonRaumzeit for helping me edit this into a readable story.**

 **Let me know what you thought with a fav, follow, or my personally favorite, a review. I also accept PMs with Haikus. ;)**

 **Have a great Friday and I'll see you next chapter.**


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